11.25.2008

This extraordinary "office building" was originally an underground bunker that was tranformed into a far out, James Bondesque headquarters for a high-security data center run by one of Sweden’s largest ISPs. The Pionen Data Center was named after its code name when it was a Cold War bunker and nuclear shelter; "Pionen White Mountains". It is located beneath 30 meters of granite, sealed off from the world by entrance doors that are 16 inches thick. It boasts a list of cool design features including simulated daylight, greenhouses, waterfalls, German submarine engines and a huge 2600-liter salt water fish tank and looks like a design out of a James Bond movie set. The structure is so secure that it can withstand a hydrogen bomb hit with no problem. Add to those impressive statistics, that it is just a spectacularly beautiful and innovative transformation - and you've got JUST COOL design!

About the design, Jon Karlung, CEO at Bahnhof (the ISP behind Pionen), said, “Since we got hold of this unique nuclear bunker in central Stockholm deep below the rock, we just couldn’t build it like a traditional – more boring – hosting center,” he said. “We wanted to make something different. The place itself needed something far out in design and science fiction was the natural source of inspiration in this case – plus of course some solid experience from having been a hosting provider for more than a decade.”

JUST COOL is...All the cool stuff in art, architecture, home, fashion, transportation,technology and more....always the weird and unusual... and sometimes a little idle rambling, written by Wendy Presseisen.